Diabetes Peer Support

Type 2 Diabetes Peer Mentoring

Are you living with type 2 diabetes? Our peer mentoring service for people living with type 2 diabetes is a great opportunity for those who feel they would benefit from the lived experience and support of others who have been living with the same condition.

“I have always felt like I am the same as I was 20 years ago, but the diagnosis made me feel my age. After taking part in mentoring I now feel like I did before, 20 years younger.”

Mentee

Our mentors are all living with type 2 diabetes, and are trained in befriending, advocacy, coaching and basic counselling skills as well as motivational interviewing and goal setting. Our mentors will meet up with you in the community, usually at a café or other public space close to you, for an hour a week for up to 4 months, though this is flexible to fit in with your situation and availability. During this time mentors will listen to the challenges and obstacles that you are experiencing. They will share their own experiences of their struggles to overcome similar barriers and obstacles to living well with type 2 diabetes. They will also support you to identify your goals and encourage and support you in making positive steps to achieve them. The ultimate goal of this service is to help you self-manage your condition and to equip you with the knowledge to confidently live with type 2 diabetes.

“I think it has been a good service that has helped me maintain my diabetes. It was really good to know that I had someone to talk to and encourage me to push myself.”

Mentee

This program, based on our successful peer mentoring programs for other long-term health conditions, has been running since October 2018 and supporting people diagnosed within 18 months. It has had 100% positive feedback from people who have taken part, with everyone who has completed the program gaining a greater understanding of their condition, improvement in mood and feeling less isolated as a result. From July 2019 we are now pleased to be able to mentor anyone in Bristol living with type 2 diabetes regardless of how long they have been living with the condition, and we want to be able to help you!

“I mentor because I wish a service like this had been available for me when I was first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I had a lot of false starts in managing it. Now that I feel I am, I’m really happy to be able to help others do the same”

Mentor

Subject to mentor availability, we are usually able to assess and match mentor pairings within 2-3 weeks. If you are or know people who may be interested in accessing peer mentors, please contact Sean Hourigan on 0117 9555038, or email diabetes@brigstowe.org.

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